A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. |}A train station, railway station, railroad station, or station yard is a facility at which Passengers may board and alight from Trains A metro station is a railway station for a Rapid transit system often known by names such as "metro" "underground" and "subway" A tram stop is a place designated for a Tram to stop in order to have passengers board or leave it Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms. The term platform is most commonly used, in British usage, for designated areas where trains stop (Platform 1, 2, 3, etc. ; the American equivalent is track). Technically speaking, the term platform actually refers to physical continuous sections of platform area. So such a physical platform may contain several "designated" platforms.
The term railway platform can also mean any type of freight platform beside a rail siding for loading/unloading freight to/from rail cars. A siding, in Rail terminology, is a track section distinct from a through route such as a main line or Branch line or spur
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Characteristics
- See also: Railway platform height
A most basic form of platform consists of an area at the same level as the track, usually resulting in a fairly large height difference between the 'platform' and the train floor. The height of a Railway platform varies between railway systems A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track ( Permanent way) to transport freight or passengers from one place to another This would often not be considered a true platform. The more traditional platform is situated at an elevated level relative to the track, but often lower than the train floor, although ideally the platform should be at the same level as the train floor. Occasionally the platform is at a higher level than the train floor. This may be the case when a train with a low floor level serves a station built for trains with a higher floor level, for example at the Dutch stations of the DB Regionalbahn Westfalen (see Enschede). Nederlandse Spoorwegen ( Dutch Railways) or NS, is the principal passenger Railway operating company in the Netherlands. DB Regio AG is as subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG that operates passenger trains on short and medium distances in Germany or Eanske in the local dialect ( Twents) is a Municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel, in the Likewise, on the London Underground some stations are served by both District Line and Piccadilly Line trains, and the Piccadilly trains have lower floors. The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire The District line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. The Piccadilly line is a line of the London Underground, coloured dark Blue on the Tube map.
A tram stop is often in the middle of the street; usually it has as a platform a refuge area of a similar height to that of the sidewalk (eg. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train 10 cm), and sometimes has no platform at all. A centimetre ( American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one hundredth The latter requires extra care for the boarding and unboarding passengers and for the other traffic to avoid accidents. Both types of tram stops can be seen in the tram network of Melbourne. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Sometimes a tram stop is served by ordinary trams (with rather low floors) as well as metro-like light rail vehicles with higher floors, and the tram stop is provided with a dual height platform. A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway or metro(politan system is an electric passenger railway For specific light rail systems many of which use the words "light rail" as part of their name see List of light-rail transit systems. An example can be found in Amstelveen, Netherlands. is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Similarly a train station may be served by heavy-rail and light-rail vehicles (with lower floors) and also have a dual height platform. This applies for example on the RijnGouweLijn, Netherlands. The RijnGouweLijn (The Rhine - Gouwe Line or RGL is a Light rail project in South Holland, Netherlands. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands
Types of platform
Platform types include the bay platform, through platform, island platform, and the side platform. Bay platform is a Railway -related term commonly used in the UK and Australia to describe a dead-end platform at a Railway station An island platform (also known as center platform or centre platform) on a Railway is where a single platform lies between two tracks Railway platforms at railway stations on double lines can be side platforms or Island platforms With side platforms track centres remain the same and no space A bay platform is one at which the tracks terminate, i. e. a dead-end or siding. A siding, in Rail terminology, is a track section distinct from a through route such as a main line or Branch line or spur Trains serving a bay platform must reverse in or out. A through platform, conversely, is the more usual type of platform, located alongside tracks where the train may simply pull into the platform from one end, and leave passing the other end. Finally, an island platform has designated through platforms on both sides; it may be indented on one or both ends, with bay platforms. For passengers to reach an island platform, there may be a bridge, a tunnel, or a level crossing. A bridge is a Structure built to span a Gorge, Valley, Road, railroad track, River, Body of water A tunnel is an underground passageway The definition of what constitutes a tunnel is not universally agreed upon The term level crossing (also called a railroad crossing, road through railroad, railway crossing, train crossing or grade crossing The climb up to the bridge or down to the tunnel may use stairs, ramps, escalators, lifts, or a combination of the above.
Usually platform numbering is actually a numbering of the boarding areas in the station (hence one island platform, for example, may have several numbered platforms). In some cases, tracks without platform access, used for through traffic, also have a number.
Facilities
Part of the station facilities are usually on the platforms. Where the platforms are not situated within a station building, often some form of shelter or waiting room is provided. A waiting room is a building or more commonly a part of a building where people sit or stand until the event they are waiting for occurs The protection offered by such varies greatly – some being little more than a roof with open sides, others being a closed room with heating or air-conditioning (the roof also provides shade; this may be a disadvantage in colder climates). Also there may be benches, lighting, garbage boxes and static timetables or dynamic displays with information about the next train. For metonymic and other uses see Bench (metonymy and Bench A bench is a piece of Furniture, which mostly offersseveral persons Lighting includes both artificial Light sources such as lamps and natural illumination of interiors from Daylight. WASTE is a Peer-to-peer and Friend-to-friend protocol and software application developed by Justin Frankel at Nullsoft in 2003 that features There are often loudspeakers as part of a public address system. For the Marty Friedman album see Loudspeaker (album A loudspeaker, speaker, or speaker system is an electroacoustical A public address or " PA " system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, Amplifier and Loudspeakers used to The PA system is often found where dynamic timetables or electronic displays are not present. A variety of information is presented, usually pertaining to departures, but often arrivals also. This concerns destinations and times (for all trains, or only the more important long-distance trains), delays, cancellations, platform changes, changes in routes and destinations, and supplemental fee or reservation requirements.
Platform safety
Platforms usually have some form of warnings or measures to keep passengers away from the tracks and moving trains. The simplest measure is markings near the edge of the platform to demarcate the distance back from the platform edge that passengers should remain. Often a special tiled surface is used as well as a painted line, to help blind people using a walking aid, and aid in preventing wheelchairs from accidentally rolling too near the platform edge. A dangerous practice that sometimes occurs is sitting on the edge of the platform, which requires being fast enough in withdrawing the legs when a train arrives.
Platforms should also be sloped upwards slightly towards the platform edge to prevent wheeled objects such as trolleys, prams and wheelchairs from rolling away and into the path of the train.
In high-speed rail passing trains are a significant safety problem, as the safe distance from the platform edge increases with the speed of the passing train. Several countries have laws that prohibit trains passing platforms above certain speeds (usually 200 km/h (120 mph)). For stations on high-speed lines this leaves two alternatives unless all trains stop there: Either a speed limit for passing trains is introduced or the station has to be rebuilt to include tracks that do not pass platforms.
Some metro stations have platform screen doors between the platforms and the tracks. Platform screen doors and platform edge doors at train or subway stations screen the platform from the Train. They provide more safety; also they allow the heating or air conditioning on the station and the ventilation in the tunnel to be separated, thus being more efficient and effective. They have been installed in most stations of the Singapore MRT and the Hong Kong MTR, as shown in the photos below, and the newer stations forming the Jubilee Line Extension in London. Singapore The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT (大众快速交通 or more commonly known as 地铁 Malay: Sistem Pengangkutan Gerak Cepat; Tamil: சிங்கை Hong Kong ( officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located on China 's south coast on the Pearl River Delta, and borders MTR, or Mass Transit Railway, is the Rapid transit Railway system in Hong Kong. The Jubilee line extension is the extension of the London Underground Jubilee line from Green Park to Stratford, through south and east London London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
Many platforms also contain an area underneath the edge of the platform so people who by any chance fall off the platform can seek shelter from incoming trains.
Curvature
Ideally platforms should be straight or slightly convex, (although in the UK recent rules require new platforms to be straight) so that the guard can see the whole train as he prepares to close the doors. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Platforms that have great curvature have blind spots that create a safety hazard. Mirrors or closed-circuit cameras may be used in these cases to view the whole platform. Closed-circuit television ( CCTV) is the use of Video cameras to transmit a signal to a specific place limited set of monitors Also passenger carriages are straight, and so doors will not always open directly onto a curved platform – often a gap is present. (Usually such platforms will have warning signs, possibly auditory, such as London Underground's famous phrase "Mind the gap"). The London Underground is a Metro system serving a large part of Greater London and neighbouring areas of Essex, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire "Mind the gap" is a warning to Train passengers to remind them of the sometimes significant gap between the train door and the Station platform. In some cases, sections within the platform may be movable, so as to cover any gap; moving away again to allow the train to leave.
Length
The longest railway platform in the world (1,072 metres, or 3,538 feet) is at Kharagpur, West Bengal (India). Kharagpur (KGP (খড়্গপুর is an industrial town in India. West Bengal ( Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ Poshchim Bônggo poʃtʃim bɔŋgo is a state in eastern India. The longest in Australia is at Flinders Street Station, Melbourne. Flinders Street Station is the central railway station of the suburban rail network of Melbourne, Australia. Though spread over 4 stations, the longest platform in the US on a metro line is on the Red Line in the State Street subway in Chicago, Illinois. The Red Line (Howard-Dan Ryan Service is a heavy rail line in Chicago, run by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA as part of the Chicago 'L' system Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States.
See also
References
External links
- Schematic maps of all tracks, switches and platforms in the Netherlands (point at an area and open detail map in a new window)
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